The tales and adventures of a sister missionary in the Kentucky Louisville Mission!

Sunday, August 31, 2014

August Highlights

August 26, 2014

We had an interesting week. We did ALOT of service. We helped a member move some stuff from a basement where she works at since they're moving their store. It was a really good workout! Going up and down those stairs carrying heavy stuff. Then we helped some investigators scrub their walls and floors of a house they're moving into. We helped scrub it all down and started re-painting their living room. It's always nice to do service!

We found a lot more people to teach this past week which was awesome! The Lord really blessed us.

We had our mission tour with Elder Cardon yesterday. It was wonderful! Hearing from general authorities is always awesome! We started off talking about recognizing and following the Spirit. I was reminded of how important it is to choose faith over fear always. We should seek for spiritual promptings and always be willing to courageously follow them. Humility and trusting in the Lord has a lot to do with that. That's why I love reading the war chapters in the BoM since it's that message over and over again- that we just need to trust and rely on the Lord and He will always deliver us. Then we talked a lot about working better with the members which was awesome! Sister Vikari sang a wonderful song too. Overall, it was super great.

Have a great week!

Love,

Sister Hodges

The original MTC District! Almost all of us.

The sistas!

August 18, 2014

We had a good week. Lots of good stuff happened.

First off, we had a really great district meeting about the Atonement. We have this video called missionary work and the Atonement. I've probably seen it like 50 times on my mission. They use it at a lot of trainings. It talks about the Savior's Atonement and how it can carry us as missionaries. It also talks about how hard missions can be and how it helps us understand a little better what the Savior went through for us. Super powerful. Then we all shared our favorite scriptures about the Atonement from the Book of Mormon.

I got to go back to Jessamine county for a day, which was wonderful of course! I got to see the Siletta's again! They are such a wonderful family! It was great being with Sis Newton for a day too. I got to talk to her a lot about how things have been going and it's helped me figure out what the Lord wants me to learn I think. We were also discussing the fact that an army of Sister Missionaries will be going home soon and I kind of realized that the Lord must have something for us to do. It helped me realize how important it is that I never take that mantle off as a return missionary when I go home. I need to keep the work going forward as a member missionary and future mom. It's exciting, but feels like a great responsability.

Our invesitgator, came to church yesterday! Then later that night we all went to a fireside in Lexington for invesitagators. A couple of recent converts told their conversion story and then we had a testimony meeting after. It lasted like two hours but it was so good! The spirit was so strong! Afterwards our investigator was like "I need to read the Book of Mormon more! I see while yall push it so much!" lol. It was awesome! It really pushed him to want to find out for himself.

Sounds like y'all had a good time in Utah. It was weird to see a picture of you and the Airmets all together! Worlds colliding!! But that's fun that you got to have dinner with them!!

Love,

Sister Hodges

The STL's we went on exchange with

This is Sis Siletta!

August 11, 2014

We had a good week! We had a great training this past week at district meeting. It was all about prayer. It's such a basic thing but if there's one thing I've learned on my mission it's that life is all about mastering the basics. If I could go back to sports in High School I would have focused a lot more on mastering the basics of each sport. And I want to make sure that I keep up with all of the gospel basics. Prayer is the most important in my opinion. If you're keeping that communication with God everything is most likely to fall into place how it needs to. You'll do what you need to do. We learned more about how important it is to help our investigators know how to pray. They need to build there own relationship with God and not lean on ours. They need to have their own experiences with God instead of only learning about ours. We all do it at some point like me being raised leaning more on yours and dad's testimony but you have to make your own relationship at some point or it won't last. I love the verse in 1 Nephi 10:6 that talks about how we are in a lost and fallen state unless we learn to rely on the Redeemer and that's what we're trying to help others do as missionaries. Help them rely on the Savior and learn how to live that way so that it will stick when we're gone. That's true conversion. I've learned that there's a huge difference between having a testimony and being truly converted. It's all about how we live that makes the difference. I love how it defines conversion in the bible dictionary. Anyways, I'll stop with all my "what I learned" jazz :)

It was an Elders birthday the same day as that district meeting. His companion asked us to make a cake so we made America themed cupcakes since we had some July 4th sprinkles left from the 4th of July. We got him a tiara at the Family Dollar and some candles. We grabbed the candles really quickly and didn't see that they were the kind that light back up after you blow them out. So after we sang and he blew them out like twice they kept lighting up! He and his companion had to rush outside to smother them. It was pretty hilarious.

We met a guy that grew up going to the RLDS church with his grandma in the summers! They are now called the Community of Christ. He was really nice. They have a temple in Missouri. He showed us a picture. It's pretty.

Me and a giant leaf!

Morehead from a high view

we got into a dorm to see a referral but no one has moved in yet....so we went to the top floor and took a quick pic of Morehead!

Delivering cookies in the rain

August 4, 2013

We had a good week! We had lots of people come to church which was very good! A couple of people came for the first time ever. One was invited by a member. We knew her from the Soup Kitchen and took her to our family history center and gave her a church tour. Then the member invited her to church and she came! It was awesome! Yay member missionary work!

Oh and I found out I'm ending my mission here. I'll have spent almost half of my mission here by the time I leave. It can be hard to be in an area for so long, but it's people like Sis Sexton and all the people that I've been teaching that make me so happy to stay! I've been here so long, I've gotten attached to people!

Have a great week!

LOVE YOU LOTS!!

Love,

Sis Hodges

My trunky planner from Sister Airmet.

Last district meeting! The only change is Elder Magleby is going home and we'll get a new Elder.

The Elders are so awkward lol

July 28, 2014

It was a good week! Our air conditioner broke I think on Tuesday so we had a super warm night but an awesome member let us borrow one of her fans which was a LIFESAVER. So we've been surviving without air conditioning while they are fixing it. They said it might take a bit, but I sure appreciate air conditioning way more! And a fan. It changes your life.

Anyways, besides that I had my first and last interview with Pres Brough. Well, I guess I'll have an exit interview so nevermind. But, it was nice to talk to him a little bit and Sis Brough. They're so awesome! The assistants gave a super great training too! It was about relying on the Savior and Finding, teaching, baptizing, retaining, and activating all five everyday. That's a handful to type. I really loved discussing how to rely on the Savior. It's one of the biggest lessons I've learned on my mission. That no matter how hard we try to do our best and do everything ourselves we simply can't. I've experienced for myself. We need the Savior. We need Him and He's waiting to help us. I read a conference talk this morning, the one by Jean Stevens from last conference (she's so cute), and I love how she talks about the Lord always being there to support us and answer our prayers and we just need to trust him. And I love how she says the gospel is not a checklist of things to do but something that should live in our hearts. The Gospel is not weight but wings. Isn't that so true? I love it.

An investigator came to church yesterday! It was really unexpected. We hadn't been able to contact him at the end of the week but he woke up early on Sunday and felt like he needed to go so we pulled together a ride last minute and he seemed to have really liked it! The ward was great at welcoming him too. It means a lot to have an investigator come to church. It's when they'll really start progressing and they show real commitment.

On Pioneer Day we had a ward party. Soup and beans and old fashioned desserts. It was DELICIOUS. Well the soup and beans were okay. Southern thing. But the desserts were oh so good!

Anyways, it was a good week! Sounds like yall had a fun one too! The three little ones are stud swimmers! That's a lot of ribbons! And that's fun that Sis Driggs came by! She's so cute. That must be so nice to be able to visit your mission so easily! At least I'm still in the country so it's pretty doable. I'm already planning on coming back when Rene goes through the temple in December.

I heard they had like a flood in Rexburg and I'll need to get permission to call the financial aid office tomorrow when hopefully they'll have their computers back up.